| The tasty flounder is a great sport fish you can | | | | usually a simple green squid and a spinner blade |
| target in Rhode Island waters. Every day during the | | | | works pretty well. Catching colors can change, and |
| summer hundreds of boats are out there targeting | | | | size of the spinner blade. But a bare hook doesn't |
| this great fish. By following a few tips you can | | | | always work that well. Of course, we always put |
| become a better flounder fisherman. Summer | | | | bait on the hook. It might be squid, smelts, peanut |
| flounder are a funny-looking brownish fish with a | | | | bunker, or strips of flounder belly. Depends on what |
| totally white underside. They have two eyes on | | | | is working that day. Squid is usually a good bet to |
| one side of their head and swim with the eyes | | | | bring. Cut it into long strips and hook it a couple |
| upward, tending to cruise along the bottom, not | | | | times before putting it down. Now, as for sinker |
| moving to far away from it. They cruise about 1-3 | | | | weight, use the smallest sinker that will keep your rig |
| feet off the bottom looking for something to eat, | | | | on the bottom, so you can jig it. The rig should |
| usually using the current from the tides to cover | | | | always be jigged, never let it drag on the bottom. |
| ground. Often they will spook some small life form | | | | A gentle jigging, lifting the rod tip no more than 12" |
| as they approach, and a small puff of mud or motion | | | | and back down till you feel the sinker hit the |
| is sent into the water which attracts the flounder to | | | | bottom. Down below, what happens is your rig is |
| that area and he will pounce on the poor creature. | | | | moving as the boat moves along, and each time the |
| This habit is the one we exploit when fishing for | | | | sinker hits the bottom, it makes a noise and a puff |
| them. | | | | of sand or mud. This noise and puff of mud |
| Ok, so you want to find some flounder. Well, they | | | | attracts the attention of the flounder, and the bait |
| aren't always in the same place. As the season | | | | on the hook tastes good. This is what brings |
| progresses, you have to go deeper and deeper to | | | | them in. |
| find them. Sometimes they move east or west | | | | Now, on to hooking the fish. The big mistake I see |
| with the tide. They prefer sandy bottoms, so these | | | | here is everyone wants to haul back quickly as soon |
| are where you want to be and you always drift for | | | | as they feel a hit. This is a bad idea, as the flounder |
| them. Never spend more than 15 minutes on a drift | | | | typically grabs the end of the bait away from the |
| when searching, that is the point many anglers don't | | | | hook. So when you jerk the rod, it pulls the bait out |
| understand, keep moving until you find a good drift | | | | of his mouth, or off the hook. The trick is to lift |
| where you catch 4 or more fish. Then keep doing | | | | the rod tip slowly until he is hooked or lets go of the |
| that drift until it no longer produces well. Sometimes | | | | bait. Once he is hooked, then you can proceed with |
| I may move 10 times before finding them. If the | | | | reeling him in. Use a light tip rod, a rod with a heavy |
| drift is slow, the flounder fishing will be slow. If the | | | | tip makes it hard to feel the hits and hard to tell |
| drift is too fast, either slow the boat down with a | | | | when you've hooked the fish. Put two anglers |
| drift sock or sea anchor, or give it up. | | | | side-by-side, one with a heavy rod, and the other |
| Onward to rigs and methods. A typical flounder rig | | | | with a light rod. The angler with the light rod will out |
| uses a 3-way swivel with sinker snap and a 30" | | | | fish the one with the heavier rod every time, given |
| leader with some kind of fluke rig attached. It can | | | | the same level of skill. |
| be as simple as a bare hook, or very elaborate with | | | | If you want to catch big ones, put on a big bait and |
| spinners, small squids and beads, etc. The sinker is | | | | be patient. |
| important, as you need to have your rig on the | | | | So if you follow some of these points you'll be |
| bottom to catch these fish. The rig itself, well | | | | rewarded with more flounder in the boat. |